Greg Crater finished second to former Grand Prix rider
Graeme Irwin in the EVO support class. On the other
hand, he crashed on the opening lap of the first moto of
the Vet Motocross des Nations class.

Rodney Smith was thrilled to be back in England
where he had raced many times during his Grand Prix
career. On the other hand, Rodney’s bike quit in practice,
which kept him from completing even one full lap, which
relegated him to 60th gate pick for all four motos, which
meant outside of the second gate drop.

As for me, I loved watching Johnny O’Mara and Dave
Thorpe recite their epic day at Maggiora 30 years ago.
On the other hand, I took three dirt samples in three of
the four MXDN starts.

Every race is about winning and losing, but the Vet
Motocross des Nations is more about the atmosphere,
vintage machines, the fun, meeting old rivals and making
new friends. ❏

Rodney Smith
( 4) raced the
AMA Nationals
and 250 World
Championships
before returning
home to a long
career on the
offroad circuit for
Team Suzuki.